Warm Climate? No Problem! From their name alone, one could use a bit of reasoning to conclude that Snow Monkeys primarily hang out in colder climates. Buuuut, these little guys can survive warm weather as well. Native to Japan, Snow monkeys do tend to live in areas that have a lot of snow. In fact, of all the primates who aren’t human, they live in the coldest and northernmost climate in the world. So that big fluffy coat of fur that you see does comes in handy and it’s not just for show. They occupy three of the four main islands in Japan and can be found in warm forests as well.
One of the really cool things about Snow Monkeys is how smart they are, and how quickly they can adapt to new environments. For example, in 1972, a group of 150 Snow Monkeys were moved from Kyoto to a nature observatory in Texas. You don’t have to be a geologist to know how significantly different those places are. After some growing pains for the unfortunately saw a few of the monkeys die, the rest of the monkeys learned to forage for beans, fruit, and other food in the area. Within 25 years the population grew to more than 600 monkeys! 7 - Pool parties everywhere Like many of their fellow primates, Snow Monkeys usually get from point A to point B by moving around on all fours. And of course they’re pretty prolific climbers too. But these guys are pretty unique in that they’re great swimmers as well! In fact they’ve been observed swimming nearly 600 yards at once! Now here’s the kicker. They actually love to swim in hot springs! Snow Monkeys like to keep warm in a similar fashion. Natural hot springs are a favorite of Snow Monkeys, who’re often seen relaxing in these hot bodies of water. In fact, thousands of people descend upon the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Hell Valley Japan each year just to watch the monkeys bathe in its hot springs. Snow Monkeys first started doing this in the early 1960’s when a baby monkey at a hospital started the trend by taking an open air bath. Other moneys began to imitate and eventually, Japanese citizens converted the natural hot springs into some sort of private, luxury hot tub exclusive to Snow Monkeys. I mean, for some reason, that makes sense to me. For these primates, bathing in the warmth of volcanic waters seem to be as big of a deal for them as when humans learned to control fire. Apparently, there’s just no way to go without it, now. Nearly 60 years after Snow Monkeys have adapted to swimming in the hot springs, it appears that the only reasons snow monkeys use the hot springs is for social and recreational purposes. I mean hey, a monkey’s gotta unwind after doing monkey stuff somehow, right? 6 - Troops on Troops on Troops In keeping with many other primate societies, Snow Monkeys have a very complex social hierarchy and live in large packs. As a matrilineal society, meaning that social status is inherited through the females, female snow monkeys keep to their clans pretty much their entire lives, while their male counterparts will leave the group before they reach sexual maturity. Which usually means they leave before they turn four. Within each group or troop as it’s referred to in this case, there’s a social hierarchy where certain members rank higher than others. Baby monkeys inherit their mother’s status within the group, though they have the chance to move up or down within the troop during their life. A typical troop may consist of anywhere between 150 and 200 Snow Monkeys that hail from all sorts of different lines. I’m still trying to figure out how they tell each other apart, let alone their status within a group! Like I already said, male Snow Monkeys often leave their natal group before sexual maturity and sometimes form a temporary all male pack. However, it's not unheard of for males to bounce around from troop to troop or even fly solo, belonging to no troop at all for some period. In one really bizarre case, a male monkey made his home in central Tokyo for a few months. Then of course, there’s the alpha male within each group. This guy maintains dominance over the other males in the group. However, takeovers or splits among troops do occur. In fact, troops will sometimes split up to maintain size and control of the troop. Similarly, there’s a dominance hierarchy among the female monkeys within a troop as well. She often helps the alpha male maintain his place within the troop. Also, weirdly enough, grooming among female Snow Monkeys serves some sort of social role. According to Primate Info dot Net, this is done to form social bonds and to establish a friendly rapport among members within the troop. While each troop tries to keep their distance from others, they sometimes cross paths. This can potentially turn confrontational when males try to guard their ladies from the sexual advances of other male monkeys, or when food is scarce. Perhaps the coolest fact about snow monkeys is that those each of them apparently has his or her own unique personality. In a video published by PBS, Snow Monkeys were filmed as they sat around in the hot springs of Hell Valley. One monkey was seen making bubbles in the water, some were observed playfully splashing around, while another high ranking male was seen lounging with a group of females. 5 - Chess not Checkers You’ve probably figured out so far that Snow Monkeys are super smart. One of the reasons they’re able to adapt to new climates and ultimately thrive, is how fast they learn new skills. For example, they’ve been witnessed washing off sweet potatoes before they eat them, dipping them in salty seawater and then teaching this behavior to others. Scientists set out a bunch of sweet potatoes for the moneys to eat. One female named Imo was the first to wash her sweet potato before eating it. She later taught this new behavior to her fellow snow monkeys. Now they’re widely known to wash their food before eating it. Next you know these guys will probably learn to make sweet potato fries if they get near the deep fryer! Snow monkeys are also known for their playfulness. Aside from relaxing in the hot springs where they splash around and swim, they make snowballs just for fun. No word yet on whether or not they make snowmen or engage in any kind of snowball fight, but I’m sure that’s not outta the realm of possibilities! 4 - They’re not texting at dinner As very intelligent creatures, Snow Monkeys have exhibited expert communication skills. One of their trademark calls is the “coo.” This is used during feeding or migration, often as a way to strengthen social ties or express affirmation.They also have calls to signal danger or threats. Here’s something that’s really wild though. You know how humans speak different languages and have different accents based on where they live? Well Snow Monkeys don’t quite have different languages, but they DO have different accents based on region! HOLY SH*T! Not gonna lie, that’s pretty cool. Monkeys separated by just a few hundred miles are known to have different pitches in their calls, such as that coo I was just telling you about. This is based off an eight year study by researchers at the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute. In the late 90’s, researchers studied the vocal calls of two groups of Snow Monkeys who lived around 400 miles apart since 1956. What they found out was that the monkeys adapted different pitches in their calls to better fit their environment as other Snow Monkeys would imitate these calls. This is pretty significant because before that, everyone assumed only humans could imitate dialects and learn new languages. If these guys start speaking Japanese, it’s time to watch Planet of the Apes to learn all their plans! 3 - Monkey Garbage Disposal Whether it’s insects, fruit, or one of the more than 200 plant species they munch on, Snow Monkeys have a pretty diverse palate. While they certainly prefer the items listed above, they’re known to forage for other things when food is scarce. For example, they’ll dig up roots, or snack on dirt, and even fish if they can catch them. Sometimes they’ll be grooming each other, find an insect in some hair, and then toss it in their mouth! They’ve even been known to eat the fungi off of bark from time to time. As we’ve discussed, they’re known to wash their food before they eat it. So what they’ll do is, they’ll often try to live near areas that give them easy access to water. Since they live in such large groups, Snow Monkeys often help each other find food, with the alpha male often taking the lead on finding food for the rest of the troop. Well, if snow monkeys happen to come over for dinner, just know that they’ll basically eat anything! 2 - Mmmmmm...a farm These days, Snow Monkeys enjoy a pretty good relationship with humans. However, with industrialization and deforestation being what it is, Snow Monkeys have seen much of their habitat dwindle over the years. With that in mind, there’s somewhere around 50,000 of these guys living in Japan. With their space and food running out, Snow Monkeys have been known to raid farms to keep up their lifestyle. Given that they run at least 150-200 monkeys deep, they can destroy an entire harvest very quickly. Farmers in turn have taken to trapping and sometimes killing the monkeys. Professional hunters have even entered the fray, accounting for thousands of monkey deaths. In other words, we almost have a real life Planet of the Apes situation on our hands here! Conservationists worry about a continued steady decrease in the Snow Monkey population. Even though they’re not endangered yet, but they very soon could be! 1 - Japanese Culture and Snow Monkeys Snow Monkeys have a prominent place in Japanese culture. I mean nobody builds private hot tubs for just anyone, so you know there’s definitely a little relationship here! Snow monkeys have long been a big part of Japanese folklore, religion, and art. They’re believed to have been the inspiration behind the old Japanese proverb of the three wise monkeys, you know...see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Snow monkeys are even featured in Japanese fables, such as the Crab and The Monkey, a story where a sly monkey kills a crab only to later be killed by the crab’s offspring. It’s also featured in fairy tales such as Momotaro. Historically, snow monkeys were once considered to be sacred. 8th century texts depict them as having divine powers, often acting as an intermediary between man and God. However, over the centuries these monkeys took on a different meaning. By the 1600’s, a monkey was a creature that was seen as inferior, something trying to imitate humans. It was often used to describe humans who’re undesirable, and ridiculed. But even that stigma hasn’t necessarily held up over time. Today, it seems that Snow Monkeys are a source of intrigue and admiration, especially now that we know more about their intelligence. Here’s what’s next!